A serious incident occurred on Wednesday, 20 May, at around 5:30 a.m., on the premises of a Dino store in Nowogrodziec. Firefighters were dispatched to a damaged fuel tank on a tractor-trailer. Upon arriving at the scene, the emergency services found an extensive diesel fuel leak.
According to preliminary findings, the fuel spread over an area of approximately 200 square metres. The greatest danger, however, was that around a thousand litres of diesel fuel entered the stormwater system. Actions were immediately launched to limit the effects of the contamination and protect the surrounding environment.
Firefighters used absorbent material to contain the spread of the petroleum-based substance. At the same time, they assessed the possibility of the fuel reaching the nearby river. Due to the scale of the threat, additional personnel and equipment were sent to the scene.
Units from the Rescue and Firefighting Unit in Bolesławiec and the Specialist Chemical Rescue Group from Legnica joined the operation. Rescuers began pumping out contaminated water using specialist pumps. Absorbent mats and pneumatic plugs were also deployed to limit the further spread of fuel through the stormwater drainage system.
As the emergency services reported at around 1:00 p.m., rescue operations were still under way. The operation was conducted in several stages and required the cooperation of numerous fire service units.
The following units took part in the operation:
- OSP KSRG Nowogrodziec,
- OSP Nowogrodziec Osiedle,
- JRG Bolesławiec,
- JRG 2 Legnica.
There have been no reports of anyone being injured so far. The emergency services will establish the exact circumstances in which the fuel tank was damaged and assess the scale of the environmental threat.